From left, caller Abner Druckenmiller, guide Mike Conaway, hunter Mike Skvarla and his sister-in-law Abbi Ottman pose with the elk taken in Centre County.
Trophy Rack Lodge
When Pennsylvanians think of elk, Benezette in Elk County, or maybe Clearfield and Cameron counties come to mind. However, a large sub-herd of elk can be found in northern Centre County. In fact, the new elk hunt zone 309 even includes Centre County’s Bald Eagle State Park. Wild elk have been spotted as close to State College as the Marsh Creek Valley, which is just northwest of the park.
Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Mike Skvarla, an entomologist at Penn State, has been applying for an elk permit each year since he moved back to Pennsylvania in 2017. The 40-year-old lives in Port Matilda. This year he was surprised when his name was drawn for a bull elk tag for the archery season in EHZ 309.
“I entered the drawing each year just figuring that I would never be drawn,” Skvarla said. “It was just my donation to the Game Commission. So, I was totally in shock when I learned that my name had been selected.”
Skvarla contemplated hunting on his own, but in the end, he settled on Centre County outfitter Trophy Rack Lodge. “Had I drawn a permit for the rifle season, I probably would have gone it alone, but deciding to select Trophy Rack Lodge was one of the best decisions that I made,” Skvarla noted.
On the opening day of elk archery season, Skvarla was working at Penn State’s Department of Entomology Insect Fair, so he couldn’t hunt. He was out with guide Mike Conaway of Port Matilda, caller Abner Druckenmiller from the Lewistown area, and his sister-in-law Abbi Ottman on the second day, Sept. 13, and again on Sept. 14.
“We hunted in the Sproul State Forest near Orviston those first two days,” Conaway stated. “Abner called in 12 bulls, with maybe five or six coming within bow range.”
One of those that came within bow range was a real nice 6×6 bull. Skvarla trusted his guide and passed on that elk.
“I was a little concerned when my guide told me to pass on the 6×6,” Skvarla said. “But in the end, I was sure glad that I did.”
On the morning of the third day, they started hunting a piece of private property near Snow Shoe. They could hear bulls bugling and several seemed to be responding to Druckenmiller’s calls. They set up, with Skvarla positioned behind two small pine trees. Conaway was with him and Ottman was back with Druckenmiller while he called.
They could hear bulls bugling all around them — maybe four or five different bulls. One of the bulls that replied was several hundred yards away, and it kept getting closer. It came into view at about 70 yards.
“Mike whispered, ‘It’s a shooter,’” Skvarla said. “So I concentrated on the few openings that I had for a shot if the elk got closer.”
At about 60 yards, the bull bugled again, but it wasn’t quite in bow range. Skvarla raised his Ten Point crossbow. The bull came within 42 yards and turned broadside — providing a perfect shot. His Muzzy broadhead slipped through the rib cage and hit both lungs. The bull took off, dropped, and got up again, but they thought that they heard it drop just over the rise in the hill.
They located the massive bull dead about 100 yards away.
“I thought that the 6×6 was big, but this bull was massive,” Skvarla said. “Honestly, I didn’t even look at the antlers when I was waiting for an open shot.” As part of his responsibilities at Penn State, Skvarla had been to the elk check station collecting insect parasites from harvested elk. He knew how big elk are, but he had never seen one quite this big.
Centre County hunter Mike Skvarla poses with the potential record elk. Photo provided/Abbi Ottman
According to Skvarla, the hanging weight for the elk was 489 pounds, which puts a live weight somewhere between 780 and 900 pounds. He put 341 pounds of elk meat in his freezers.
Conaway gross green-scored the antlers at 428 inches, using the Boone and Crockett method of scoring. After deductions and the required 60-day drying period, Conaway estimated that the rack will have a net score of about 394, well ahead of the current 381.1 Pennsylvania archery record. That bull was harvested by Christopher Sebulsky of Pennsylvania Furnace in 2021, also in Centre County. Conaway guided that hunter, as well.
“It was an amazing hunt from start to finish. The best hunt of my life,” Skvarla said. “I was particularly happy with the way Abner involved my sister-in-law by explaining to her as the hunt unfolded. She got a lesson in calling elk.” Ottman is an avid hunter in her home state of Indiana.
From left, guide Mike Conaway, hunter Mike Skvarla and caller Abner Druckenmiller pose with the elk shot in Centre County. Photo provided/Abbi Ottman
Skvarla is having the cape tanned and the skull and antlers turned into a European mount. He hopes that when he has the space to display it, he will have it finished as a mount using the hide and antlers.
“One funny thing about me harvesting a trophy elk is that I consider myself a meat hunter,” Skvarla shared. “I usually shoot the first legal-sized buck that comes by, so I have a lot of small five and six-point racks.”
“I don’t look at social media because some people can be so mean. But Abbi couldn’t resist. She said that people were making fun of my old camo outfit,” Skvarla said. “I shot my first buck 26 years ago wearing that camo and now I shot my first elk by using it. This is why I don’t look at social media.”
Mark Nale, who lives in the Bald Eagle Valley, is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and can be reached at MarkAngler@aol.com.